


The Devil's Hymn

by rosegukk



Series: Requiem [2]
Category: B.A.P
Genre: Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Alternate Universe - Demons, Angst, Angst with a very unhappy ending, Blood and Violence, End of the World, F/M, Major Character Injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-15
Updated: 2018-06-15
Packaged: 2019-05-23 20:21:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14940741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosegukk/pseuds/rosegukk
Summary: Ten years have passed since the world ended. Humans and Demons work together to fight the angels and gain any knowledge of the last Seraph. Your unit is sent on a mission to protect a village, but will you make it in time?





	The Devil's Hymn

**Year 10 A.S** _(After Seraphim)_

A chorus of footsteps echoes back to you as you descend through the pitch black cave. You do not bother to ask one of the demons for a spark of their flames- the angry, red-glowing King of Hell provides plenty of light for you to see, even ten paces behind him out of reach of his flames. Mildly, you contemplate why, after all these years, no one has bothered to install torches to highlight the way.

The demon to your left releases a whine, stretching his arms out above his head, “I hate night scouts, nothing fun ever happens.”

You adjust the sword resting against your hip before answering, “Depends on your definition of fun, Daehyun. Night scouts are important for us to gather information on the angels with minimal risk to us and the humans.”

“Pfft, it’s still boring,” Daehyun grouses. You do not need any light to know that he wears a pout on his face. “What do you think, Jongup? Night scouts are boring, right?”

You turn slightly to peek at the demon behind you, his hands clasped casually behind his head. “Doesn’t really matter to me. We fight enough during the day,” Jongup punctuates his reply with a wide yawn.

Daehyun, unsatisfied with the answer, clicks his tongue and walks a few steps ahead. You shift your gaze around him to the King who still glows red - what upset him you are not sure. A question for him alights on the tip of your tongue, but before you can get it out, the entrance to the city appears.

Although you have seen this same sight for the last ten years, your breath still halts in your lungs as you take in the glimmering city. It teems with life of both demons and humans who intermingle as if they are all the same. Human children, who have only ever known this life underground, chase each other across your path. Your unit pauses to admire the bustling around you, but soon you notice the stares of a group of children who walk past.

You shake your head and tentatively nudge the red demon next to you, patting out the resulting singe on the sleeve of your shirt. “Hey, Yongguk, mind turning off your flames? You’re scaring the kids, again.”

The King of Hell turns his head towards you, the bright red ring around his pupils glowing fiercely. A dull sense of alarm sparks through you, but you silence it, knowing full well that he will never harm anyone in the city, let alone his captain.

“What?” he snaps.

You point at the flames that dance across his body, “Douse yourself, please.”

Yongguk looks down at himself, his hands twitching when he realizes what he is doing. In an instant, his flames are extinguished with the faint scent of sulfur left lingering in the air.

“Sorry,” Yongguk rumbles quietly, “I wasn’t aware I was doing it.”

You brush aside his apology, “Something on your mind?”

“Thinking of that pain-in-the-ass Seraph we have yet to see and kill?” Daehyun pipes up from behind.

Yongguk tilts his head to the side, running his fingers through the fading red streaks in his black hair, “Yeah, something like that.”

Of the four Seraphim- the leaders of all the angels- three have been defeated over the past ten years, but the last Seraph remains elusive. In order to wipe out all of the angels and place the world back into the hands of humans, the Seraph will need to be destroyed. It has never shown itself- the only knowledge of it comes from lesser angels that have been encountered. If it decides to remain hidden, then humans and demons will never be able to end the war and live in peace once again.

Sensing that your unit needs a change of subject and some morale, you clap Yongguk on the shoulder, ignoring the immense heat that spreads through your palm, “Come on, let’s go wash up. Then we can eat and get some rest.” Daehyun and Jongup let out a synchronized whoop and turn to head to their quarters.

“Hey! Captain! Wait up!” a familiar voice shouts to you from a nearby street.

Youngjae and Junhong rush towards you and your demons. Daehyun and Jongup pause their leave upon seeing the two men.

“Oh, haven’t seen you in awhile, Junhong,” Jongup remarks, “What have you been up to?”

“Not much, my unit has been traveling between some smaller villages to distribute supplies,” Junhong states with a shy smile.

“Youngjae, you don’t have to call me Captain. We’re the same rank and friends,” you remind the man.

“Yeah, but you’re the _elite_ Captain,” Youngjae teases. You send a glare his way, which he promptly ignores to relay his message. “Himchan wants to talk to you and your unit. He said it’s pretty urgent and wants you to see him now.”

“Why do you use my title, but not Himchan’s?” you grumble under your breath.

“Now? But we just got back from scouting all night,” Daehyun comments in surprise.

Youngjae shrugs, “Take that up with him. See ya!” He grabs Junhong by his belt loop and runs back the way they came.

You sigh, the exhaustion beginning to take hold of your muscles, “Let’s go.”

The demons accompany you to the military building with minimum complaints. Demons are known to have a vast store of stamina, but the amount of missions your unit has been on in the last two weeks is finally taking a toll. You are definitely going to give Himchan a piece of your mind for running you into the ground.

You approach Himchan’s office on the top floor and push open the deeply stained wooden doors with the heat of three demons at your back. Himchan looks up from the mounds of paperwork on his desk and ushers you in with a tired dip of his head. The fatigue spares no one.

You line up shoulder-to-shoulder with your members and salute, “Major General Kim, Elite Unit One reporting.” Himchan blinks at you with bloodshot eyes and leans back in his chair with a heavy sigh. He rose through the ranks swiftly after the war began, mostly because his superiors were constantly defeated in battle. He was promoted to Major General three years ago after the last one was killed by the third Seraph. Himchan constantly reminds you that he has only made it this long because the fourth Seraph has not shown up yet. 

“At ease, Captain,” Himchan says, his voice straining not to break.

You relax, the demons following suit after you. “Good morning, Himchan,” you say softly. Your complaints could wait until another time, perhaps after he has a proper night of rest.

Himchan runs a hand across his face, trying to muster up any dregs of energy he has left. “I’m sorry for calling you all here right after a scout, but this really can’t wait. I just received intel that angels plan to attack a village to the North in a week. I need you to head out there now to prepare, and prevent anything from happening.”

Yongguk stiffens at your side and his heat radiates over you, his anger boiling to the surface at angels and innocent villagers being mentioned in the same sentence. No matter what happens, you must not let anything happen to them. You swore that oath ten years ago, and you intend to keep it until your last breath. 

“Give us some time to gather what we need and eat, then we’ll leave before noon,” you answer.

“Alright,” Himchan pushes the pads of his thumbs over his eyes, desperately trying to fight off sleep, “Be quick and be careful.”

“Always,” you give a curt nod, “and you should try to sneak away for a couple of hours to sleep.”

Himchan breathes out through his nose and a small smile tilts up the corners of his mouth. “Yeah, right. The only time I’ll be able to sleep again is when I’m dead.”

“Still, you should try,” you say gently, turning on your heels. Papers shuffle behind you in lieu of Himchan’s answer. _Stubborn old man_. Jongup walks ahead of you and holds the door open as you pass through. In the back of your mind, you know that Himchan is correct- none of you will be able to sleep soundly until death closes your eyes.

The secretary on the bottom floor hands you an envelope with the details of the mission, and location of the village. You quickly thumb through it when a particular sentence sticks out to you.

“Why can’t we take a vehicle?” you look up to the secretary for an answer.

She gives an apologetic smile before responding, “Our gas reserves are extremely low. The Major General wants to save as much as possible for emergencies.”

Daehyun snatches the papers out of your hands and looks at the distance to the village. His mouth opens and closes like a gasping fish as he calculates the time it will take to travel there on foot. “It’ll take us three days!”

“Yes,” the secretary timidly adjusts her wire-framed glasses, “that’s why the Major General wants you to leave as soon as possible.”

“I’m gonna kill him myself, Seraphim be damned!” Daehyun shouts, spinning around and making a beeline towards the stairs. You giggle when you notice tiny sparks of pink flying off of him.

Daehyun does not make it far before Yongguk grabs ahold of his collar and drags him back to the group. Yongguk releases Daehyun, plopping him on the ground, his arms crossed in frustration. Jongup, unfazed, carefully pries the crumbled papers from Daehyun’s fingers and hands them back to you.

“I’ll go get our supplies ready, while the three of you can change and eat,” Jongup says as he reaches down to pull up Daehyun. When Jongup notices the uneasiness in your eyes, he smiles and drapes his arm across Daehyun’s shoulders, “Don’t worry about me, Captain, we don’t need to eat as often as humans.”

You scrunch up your nose, “I know, but I’ll grab you some snacks and a change of clothes anyway.”

A crooked smile lights up Jongup’s face before he whirls around to leave for the equipment storehouse. Daehyun bumps into your shoulder as he follows after him, fussing the whole way. You do not admonish him because you, too, are not delighted at the thought of walking for three days. The demons will probably be able to make it to the village in two days on their own if only your weak human body did not need rest. A sigh pushes through your lips and you wonder why they even follow you in the first place. It is even more perplexing why the demons have continued to live in peace with humans for ten years; they have all the power necessary to defeat the angels and Seraphim without assistance. But, the demons have certainly been the key to the survival of humans. A cold shiver trickles down your spine at the thought of how humans would most definitely be extinct by now if the demons had not offered protection.

Heat spreads from your back, and across you, a signal that Yongguk is ready to go. Sweat begins to bead at the nape of your neck because of the Devil’s proximity- you really need to remind him to either keep his distance when he is fired up or learn to keep his temperature under control.

“Let’s go, Yongguk before you set all the secretary’s documents on fire.”

Yongguk coughs uncomfortably at your callout, “Sorry, Captain.” 

An hour later your unit is gathered in front of the main tunnel entrance. You stuff a few snacks into Jongup’s pack and zip it closed, “There, I think we’re all ready now.”

“Hooray,” Daehyun cheers lifelessly.

“Oh, come on, Dae!” you playfully punch his arm, but the demon remains unamused, “Maybe we’ll encounter some angels and you’ll finally get to stretch your legs and fight.” You swallow around a lump in your throat and pray that there will not be too many. While you are confident in your combat abilities, angels are quick and dirty fighters. Many soldiers have fallen to their tricks.

Daehyun hums at the prospect, “You’re right, Captain. This could be fun.”

You are not sure who in their right mind would find fighting angels to the death fun, but then again, demons are their natural enemies. You toss the idea of trying to understand the mindset of your demon soldier and step into the tunnel, the others mute as they shadow you.

Two days later, you find yourself carefully holding your packaged meal over a pink flame that dances in the middle of Daehyun’s hand. There is no need for a campfire when you have three walking stoves with you. Having a campfire is dangerous, anyway, as any prowling angels can find you easier.

You lower your meal closer to the flames, eyeing them closely to keep your fingers out of reach. You should have brought tongs, you think, or a stick. Steam finally begins to rise from the food when Daehyun and Jongup begin their usual argument over whose flames are more powerful. You tune them out and focus on your slowly warming meal, but that would be your only enjoyment of it. Daehyun’s hand jerks slightly before his flames grow three times in size, effectively charing your meal and scalding your fingertips.

You drop the blackened remnants of your food with a cry and look up to find Daehyun chasing Jongup in a circle, shooting balls of fire at his back. Yongguk lies still on the ground with his eyes closed, unbothered by the sudden commotion.

“Just once,” you sigh, tenderly blowing on your throbbing fingers, “I would like to eat a meal that isn’t burnt.” You poke at the food on the ground, testing to see if you can pick it up, and blow out the tiny flame that waves in the wind. Daehyun’s and Jongup’s yells and the intermittent small explosions of their attacks provide background noise as you pick at what little edible food bits remain.

The next morning your unit rises before the sun. You hurriedly shovel down breakfast and join the waiting demons; another full day of travel awaits. By midafternoon, heavy clouds gather and unleash their downpour on your less-than-thrilled caravan. With a curse to the sky, you pull up the hood of your coat and continue forward.

A few hours after the sun sets, you arrive at the outskirts of the village. The rain still falls in heavy sheets and the clouds block out any light from the moon, leaving you struggling to find good footing in the mud.

“Urgh,” you groan as your foot is sucked into a large puddle of mud. “A little help would be nice right about now, guys.” Two pairs of hands grip your arms, a third grabbing your leg that is stuck, and in one swift movement, you are free. A warm hand encloses around yours and leads it to rest on a firm shoulder.

“Hold tight and follow me,” Daehyun shouts over the wailing wind. Vaguely you realize that Daehyun’s coat is bone dry, and once again you are left to envy the powers of demons. Cautiously, your unit enters the village and the hair on your arms prickles upright. You are immediately on full alert. The small village is completely dark- no candles or fires light the homes.

“Spread out,” you breathe. There is no need for you to talk above a whisper, the demons always hear your commands. Your fingers fall from Daehyun’s shoulder as he veers off to the right, and you slow your step to fall back. Yongguk alters his course to the left and Jongup brushes past you to take the lead, their bodies already beginning to shift into their full demon forms.

Your pace is encumbered enough by the darkness and the steadily falling rain, but the mud that plagued you earlier grabs at your boots yet again. You cannot tell where you are exactly, but you guess you are nearing the center of the village. With bated breath, you strain your ears to find any strange noises. The rain falls louder in your ears and then, faintly, the splash of a foot stepping into a puddle.

Before you there is a flash of a muddied white robe and your body reacts, lunging forward to stick the enemy with your sword. The slippery mud is not ideal for quick movement, however, and thus you misstep, tumbling forward and to the left of the angel. Instantly, you feel cold steel slice across your side and back, tear through the layers of your clothes, and rip open your skin.

A scream springs from your lungs while you wobble hopelessly to remain upright. Your knees sink into the cold mud and your left hand flies to your injured right side. Warmth immediately coats your fingers and you hiss as you touch the open wound. There is no time to inspect your injury further as you can hear the angel approaching you again. You swing your sword wildly out to the side, but come to regret your decision when splitting pain rockets through your gash. Your body is too stunned to move, even though you scream at it desperately. The only choice you have now is to brace yourself for the next blow.

It never comes. Deep pink flames erupt before you, effectively engulfing the angel. It falls to the ground and the flames sizzle at the contact with water but remain glowing. A clawed hand presses into your left shoulder and tilts you upward. Daehyun appears crouched in front you, his terrifying demon form blurred in your vision by the rain. You like all the demons’ true forms, though, and are always in awe of them, no matter how many times you see them transform.

Daehyun alters you closer to him, careful not to jostle against your wound. But, every vibration sends waves of pain shooting through your side, and you cannot stop the small whimper that falls in response.

“I’m sorry,” comes Daehyun’s gruff voice. “I need to get you inside, just hang on.” The sound of a door being kicked down registers through the murky fog of pain and you feel yourself being lowered into a chair. Daehyun smoothly helps you slump forward over the table, and you mumble in appreciation for its support. A minute later the room glows in soft pink tones, a sign that Daehyun’s flames found a home in the fireplace. He appears at your side once again, “We need to get your clothes off to treat your wound.”

You grimace and sit up, holding your breath against the pain. “Why, Daehyun, aren’t you romantic? Lighting a pretty pink fire and telling me to take off my clothes,” you wink, chuckling humorlessly at your attempt to lighten the mood.

The demon frowns at you, unsure if he should ignore your joke or retort with an equally greasy line. He opts for the former and reaches to unbutton your coat instead. You study his arms to occupy your mind from the throbbing in your side and smile. From the sharp onyx nails on his hands, all the way up to his elbow, his skin is a deep charcoal. But, if you focus a little more, you can see the faint pink lines that spider through the cracks in the gray.

“You know, you’re pretty cute in your half-form. The pink flames add a nice touch,” you disclose, beginning to pull at your coat with your left hand. Daehyun looks up at you, the gold rings around his pupils glowing warmly from the fire. You are not lying- out of all the half-forms you have seen, Daehyun’s is by far your favorite. Two short, black horns poke through his raven hair, and you abandon your attempt to remove your coat to poke the tip of one.

“Shut up,” Daehyun sighs, “and don’t poke my horns, please.”

“Sorry,” you smile.

Daehyun huffs suddenly in annoyance, “I think it’ll be easier and less painful if I just cut your clothes off.”

“Oh, getting a bit bold, aren’t we?” you tease. But, you know that he is right. Your coat has not even made it past your shoulders and your wound is burning more intensely. “Alright, go ahead.”

Daehyun stands and positions himself behind you, “Lean forward a little and don’t move.” You do as he says, and in one quick motion, he uses a sharpened claw to seamlessly cut through the layers of your clothes. He returns to your side to help you tug away the fabric, and, after a few moments, your upper half is bare. A slight chill reaches your skin, but the fire and Daehyun’s warmth chase it away.

You are not embarrassed at being exposed in front of Daehyun. You have been like this many times before in front of your unit since you became their captain. The thick scars that cover your body give testament to your trials of combat over the last several years. You know that Daehyun’s body is covered in similar scars as well. Not much can leave permanent marks on a demon- except for an angel’s blade. 

Daehyun takes the scraps of your shirt and tenderly attempts to wipe away the blood that covers your entire right side. “Shit, you’re still bleeding a lot, and there’s so much blood and mud caked on you, that I can’t follow the line of your cut,” his brows furrow and he leans in closer. Daehyun tosses his makeshift rag to the floor and stands, “I need water.” He turns to walk to the kitchen of the small house in search of a bucket of water. He finds one and returns, dipping a new scrap of cloth into the pail and wiping it over your side.

Your body begins to weaken by the minute as Daehyun cleans out your wound and staunches the bleeding. You cannot hold yourself up anymore and slowly fall forward to rest your head on the table again.

“I’m going to close you up, now,” Daehyun announces. You grunt in response, too tired to form words. Warm, soft flames tickle against your skin as Daehyun slowly begins the process of sealing your wound. Daehyun’s flames are the gentlest of your three demons, but they are still not on par with the flames of the medical demons. His flames barely reach the minimum of healing- it is more like slapping on a temporary bandage. The medical demons, however, can use their flames to heal all manner of injuries.

You chuckle quietly to yourself when you remember the first time you were injured during a mission. You had tripped on some slippery rocks by a river, resulting in a large cut on your knee. Jongup was nearest to you at the time and offered to close it up, but you shoved him away the moment his green flames touched your skin. It felt like being stabbed repeatedly with lightning bolts. Yongguk arrived just as you were trying to dunk Jongup into the river for shocking you, and suggested his flames. You nearly kicked him into the water before his burgundy flames even came within a foot of your knee- you were sure your skin was going to melt right off of the bone. Then came Daehyun, who brightly refused your threats and placed his palm over your knee. You sat in awe as his warm flames easily sealed the cut without any pain. Ever since then, Daehyun was the only one you allowed near any injuries you sustained on missions.

“Okay, that should hold up until we get back home,” Daehyun reports, placing a pleasant hand on your back.

“Thanks, Doc,” you reply tiredly. Daehyun pushes himself up, reaching for the first button of his coat, and promptly unbuttons the rest, sliding it off.

“Here, hold out your arms,” Daehyun helps you put on his coat and buttons it up for you, nodding happily when it is on. “I’m going back out to help Yongguk and Jongup look for the villagers. You stay here and rest, Captain.”

“Find them, Daehyun. Please, find the villagers,” you plea. The chances are extremely low that he will find them alive, though, and you wince at the heartbreaking thought.

Daehyun nods solemnly and walks out into the drizzling rain. Left alone with your thoughts, you wonder why this mission failed. Did the intel Himchan receive arrive too late? Was it false, and meant to be a trap from the beginning? Was there never any chance at all to save the villagers?

You slam your fist against the table, furious tears welling up in your eyes. You failed them. You are too weak, too slow. You let them die. Dozens of souls that will never see the sunrise on an angel-free world. All because you did not possess the means to save them sooner. You grit your teeth until your jaw aches as tears roll freely down your cheeks.

How much longer must this go on? How many more times will you have to fail until humans are free again? Will it not happen in your lifetime, or the lifetime of the small children in the underground city? Will they be forced to live in the dark until the angels come and cut them down? You cannot let that happen; you _will not_ let that happen. Ten years ago you swore an oath that you will wipe out the angels so humans can walk safely in the sun. You fully intend to keep that promise.

An ache shifts through your wound and you are reminded of how drained you are. You adjust yourself until your head rests comfortably against the smooth wooden table, and close your eyes to rest.

A hand shakes you awake an hour later. “Sorry to wake you, Captain,” Daehyun apologizes. He stands straight while waiting for you to blink the remnants of sleep from your eyes.

“What is it?” you ask, hiding a yawn behind your hand.

“We found the villagers, Captain, and…” his voice trails off before he can utter the next words.

“And, what?” your heartbeat increases in the slight hope that some survived.

“None were found alive.” Daehyun’s voice becomes thick with emotion as he continues his report, “We found all of them heaped on top of one another on the other side of the village. Slaughtered like animals. Jongup is digging a grave for them now, and Yongguk is burning the angels. There were ten of them in total.”

Your head falls into your hands. It is the news you expected, but it is still a hard pill to swallow. You shake your head to dispel the sadness and stand, there is no time to mourn now. Daehyun wears a shocked expression at your sudden movement, surprised that you are voluntarily moving.

“Captain? I don’t think you should be up right now,” he reaches towards you to push you back down, but you knock his hands away.

“I’m fine. I’m coming out to help with digging. The villagers deserve a proper burial, and as a Captain, I cannot just sit by.” You step around Daehyun and stop at the threshold of the door, “Are you coming?” 

“Of course, Captain,” Daehyun rushes to your side, and past you to lead the way to the other side of the village. The rain has ceased for the most part and now falls in a light mist. Daehyun illuminates himself and guides you with ease through the village. You can hear the slap of a shovel against mud before you can see Jongup, who remains in his half-form to ease the physical toll of digging. He greets you with a remorseful smile before continuing his task.

“Over here, Captain,” Daehyun tugs against your sleeve, angling your sight to the rows of villagers.

You shut your eyes tightly against the onslaught of emotions and hold out your hand to Daehyun, “Give me a shovel, please.” The weathered wood of the shovel grates against your palms as you dig in silence, creating a fresh cut for every life you did not save tonight.

Bleak beams of morning light filter through the trees above and you pat down the last pile of dirt over the fresh grave. Your hands ache and crimson stains the handle of the shovel, but you bite down the agony and close your eyes to say a prayer. Who is even up there to hear your prayers? You give it a shot, anyway.

“Captain,” Yongguk interjects, “We should be going now. It’s a long journey back, especially with your injuries.”

The chill of the early spring morning seeps into your bones, a sign that winter refuses to release its grasp so easily. Part of you does not wish the leave the villagers so soon, but you must report back to Himchan immediately. You pull your coat tighter around you and lock eyes with Jongup,

“Jongup, go ahead of us. It’s imperative that Himchan knows what happened, it can’t wait three days. Yongguk, Daehyun, stick with me. We will not stop to make camp at night, so I’ll need your help to make it back on two feet.” Daehyun opens his mouth to protest, but you hold up your hand to silence him. “I know, Daehyun, I’m not in any condition to walk continuously for any amount of time, but we can shave a whole day off of our trip if we don’t stop. If I collapse or something, then I order you to carry me and keep walking. We have to get back as soon as possible,” you do not like giving such orders, but it is the only way to make sure Daehyun listens to you.

Daehyun begrudgingly accepts your command and falls in step with you and Yongguk. Jongup gives a sharp salute and rushes off, quickly fading from sight.

Half a mile out from home you can barely walk and your legs shake violently. Daehyun had to carry you through the night, but you are adamant that you want to arrive home under your own willpower. A stupid choice, but you will be damned before letting your pride take a blow. Yongguk and Daehyun have to support you heavily during the descent through the entrance tunnel, but you step onto the polished rock of the city on your own unsteady legs.

“Dammit, I feel like I’m about to keel over at any moment,” you curse, slapping your thighs in an attempt to cease their trembling.

“Alright, Captain, enough playing tough,” Daehyun scolds, wrapping his fingers around your wrist, “You’re going straight to the medical ward.”

You balk, tugging back against his grip, “I have to see Himchan.”

Daehyun vehemently shakes his head, “No way! Yongguk and I will go talk to him. _You_ need to be healed and sleep!” Too weak to put any real strength behind your pulls, Daehyun easily hoists you up on his back. Yongguk helps you adjust into a more comfortable position before Daehyun turns to the left, heading towards the medical ward.

He does not make it more than a few steps before you hear Youngjae yelling out for him to stop.

“Youngjae? What are you doing here?” you ask, perplexed as to why your friend is not out on a night scout.

“Jeez, what the hell happened to you, Captain?” Youngjae looks you over, his mouth falling open while he takes in your appearance. You must really look awful for him to look so alarmed.

“I’ll fill you in later. What’s so important that you came running over? Why aren’t you out scouting with your unit?” you repeat.

Youngjae snaps to attention, suddenly remembering the importance of his message. “Jongup was ambushed a few miles away yesterday. There were only three angels, but they were clearly higher ranking ones. Jongup managed to keep one of them alive and was able to pry out the motherload of information.” Youngjae notices the worry in your eyes and quells your concerns, “Jongup is fine. But, you’ll want to hear the news. Himchan called an emergency meeting for as soon as you returned, and since you’re back, we need to go _now_.”

“No,” Daehyun interrupts, stepping back to distance you away from Youngjae, “Captain needs to be healed before-”

“It’s fine,” you cut him off and wiggle off his back. Your legs still spasm, and your wound pulses with every breath, so you latch onto Daehyun’s arm to steady yourself. “Let’s go, I can last another hour or so. If worse comes to worst, we can have a medical demon heal me during the meeting.” You set off behind Youngjae, leaning into Daehyun more than you would prefer.

Inside Himchan’s office, several of the higher-ranked humans and demons sit around the large conference table. There is a seat at one end for Yongguk, but he chooses to stand behind yours. Jongup quietly joins your side and places his hand on your shoulder with a reassuring squeeze. You spy the relief in his eyes at seeing you home, safe.

Himchan clears his throat and takes the seat at the head of the table. His secretary rolls out a large map of the country and hands a file of papers to him before stepping back to his side. “Thank you all for coming,” he begins. “I’m sure most of you have heard the news by now, but to reiterate for those just now joining us: we procured intel that the final Seraph, along with the entire force of angels, will attack the remaining human city to the East in four days.”

Murmurs ripple around the table and your pulse spikes into a frenzy. This is it. The final Seraph will at long last show itself. And, you will be there to make sure it meets its end. The rest of the meeting passes by in a blur as plans are laid out. You absorb the information and give a few suggestions for different points of attack. The meeting ends after three hours, and you know your body has long since passed its limits.

This time, it is Yongguk who silently lifts you up and carries you all the way to the infirmary. You thank him as the medical demons cover you in their healing flames, and your vision goes black.

→ **Bonus Scene**

Yongguk and Daehyun move about their room, preparing themselves for anything they may need for the final battle in two days. Yongguk tosses a freshly sharpened dagger to Daehyun and speaks to him for the first time in hours,

“I heard the Captain is doing well. She should be released soon.”

Daehyun hums in acknowledgment, “Yeah, I’m going down to get her in an hour.”

“Good.” Yongguk pauses, hesitating to ask the next question, “Daehyun, do you have feelings for the Captain?”

Daehyun freezes and fumbles with the leather belt in his hands. He regains his composure and places the belt on top of his bed. “I can’t afford such a luxury, you know that. Besides, mixed relationships are forbidden by both the humans and demons.”

“I know,” Yongguk says, “I was the one who came up with that rule. But, there are those who ignore it completely.”

Daehyun is silent for a moment.“Although,” he mumbles, “I can’t deny that I do care for her. I’m okay with just being her right hand until one of us meets our end. I hope she’ll have me at her side even when all of this is over. I can live contently if I am allowed that much.”

“I’m sure she will. You mean a lot to her,” Yongguk says.

“Our feelings are quite different towards humans than they were ten years ago, huh?” Daehyun laughs.

“Yes, we want to protect them now more than ever,” Yongguk agrees.

“To think that we originally wanted to team up with them to wipe out the angels so that we, in turn, could wipe out the humans and have the world to ourselves.” Daehyun recollects on their misguided way of thinking. What he fails to notice, however, is the racing heart of his Captain who stands on the other side of the bedroom door.


End file.
